Joany’s Woods

Joany’s Woods was purchased by the Thames Talbot Land Trust on 28 September, 2007 following a nine month fund raising campaign that raised $660,000 for the purchase and stewardship of this remarkable site.

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Protecting Joany’s Woods, Middlesex County                                             

Joany’s Woods is a 367 acre (148.5 ha) parcel of land located on parts of Lots 17, 18 and 20 and all of lot 19 in broken Front Concession, West Williams Ward, Municipality of North Middlesex, Middlesex County in Southwestern Ontario.


Mr. Thomas Doherty of Sarnia purchased the property in 1986 for the purpose of conservation through reforestation. In 1990, the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) entered into an agreement with Mr. Doherty involving the management of the property for conservation and passive recreational pursuits by the public. Mr. Doherty died in August 2006 and his executor had to list the property for sale in order to settle the estate. The Thames Talbot Land Trust has entered into an agreement to purchase Joany’s Woods for $475,000 on the condition that the money can be raised by September 30, 2007.

Before Mr. Doherty purchased the area, the land was primarily used for agriculture, with cleared areas supporting crops such as soybeans, corn and wheat. Logging occurred in some of the forested regions although these areas have regenerated.

London, Parkhill, Thedford, Arkona, Grand Bend and Sarnia are all within a one-hour drive of Joany’s Woods. Located in the Ausable River Valley, the property is bordered by the Ausable River to the west and is accessible at the south end from County Road 7 (Elginfield Road) and at the north end from Boot Hill Road. The property contains various landforms and rare species of scientific value. The Ausable Trail committee of Lambton Wildlife Inc. has also established a hiking trail through the property as part of an extension of the Ausable Trail. The property also contains two trails system used for hiking and bird watching.

Joany’s Woods is part of the Ausable River Valley Carolinian Canada Site, and is also part of the Provincially-recognized Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI). ANSIs are areas of land and water containing natural landscapes or features which the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) have identified as having values related to protection, natural heritage appreciation, scientific study, or education.  The ABCA has classified Joany’s Woods as an Environmental Sensitive Area (ESA). The Ausable River Valley is categorized as the second most important Carolinian botanical site in Middlesex County.

In terms of wetlands, Joany’s Woods is bordered by the Ausable River to the west and contains a hardwood swamp in the northern end. Along with some small marshy areas, the property contains a small bond and borders on another larger pond. The property is bordered by hardwood swamps to the north and east.

 
Hardwood Swamp (J.Bowles)

The rest of the area consists of upland and lowland forest, scrubby areas and a number of sizable plantations. All of the agricultural land has been reforested through the ABCA and MNR. The diverse nature of the property has resulted in a wide range of plant communities which in turn provide excellent wildlife habitat. A number of Species-at-Risk are associated with Joany’s Woods including: Butternut; American ginseng; Snuffbox mussel; Flowering Dogwood; Spiny softshell turtle; Wavy-rayed lampmussel; Northern riffleshell; Queen snake and Eastern hog-nosed snake.


Upland Forest (J.Bowles)

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